Art of transporting materials in bulk.



T. W. MCNEILL.

ART OF TRANSPURTING MATERIALS ial BULK.

APPLICATION men sum 8. 19:3.

1, 181 ,67 7. 121mm Mz1y2,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

5% a i QTG JIMI JZW' fix T. W. McNElLL.

ART OF TRANSPORTING MATERIALS IN BULK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8. 1913.

lutvmml May 2, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wdwnw UNITED s'ra'rns PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. McNEILL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 REID. MURDOCH & CO., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ART OF TRANSPORTING MATERIALS IN BULK Original application filed October 21, 1912, Serial No. 726,958.

Serial No. 788,533.

I '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,'Trroifas l-V. McNrnLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Transporting Materials in Bulk, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to new and useful improvements in the art of transporting delicate, easily damaged articles of food stuffs, such as pickles, sauer kraut and the like, in a protecting liquid such as water, brine or the like, from the point of deposit to a desirable point of delivery.

In my copending application, filed October 21, 1912 Serial No. 726,958 I have disent method may be carried into effect.

closed a. system consisting of certain associated inter-dependent conduits, apparatus, and other appurtenances by which my prcisn the said application the claims are limited to the physical structure or equivalent. there in disclosed. This application is a: division therefrom.

My present method contemplates the use of a protecting fluid, as a vehicle, within which the articles to be transported or con-- veyed are submerged and by which they are floated, through the necessary conduits or conductors and devices from the point of deposit to a desirable point of delivery and a subsequent separation of the transported articles from the accompanying protecting liquid, and the reclamation of theliquid.

It further contemplates subjecting, .the more or less solid articles, and, the liquid Within which they are contained, to atln0spheric pressure and rarefyi'ng the atmospheric conditions of the conduits beyond the point of delivery, then segregating a charge of such conveyed solids and liquids by shutting off communication with the means of rarefaction and the source of supply and by the effect of gravity, due to the weight of said charge, subjecting the charge to atmospheric pressure. thereby to deposit it at the point of delivery.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Divided and this application filed September peppers, prunes and such other delicate materlals or foods that may be conveniently submerged in water or other like liquids without permanent injury. All of which may be conveyed from point to point without material injury by the practice of my method of transportation and at a price per ton incomparably cheap when considered with respect to the usual methods heretofore employed.

In an example of the practice of my invention, cucumber pickles were submerged in per cent. liquid. such as brine. The

tank or trap was sufficiently large to contain 750 pounds of pickles and brine at a charge when two-thirds full; the point of deposit was 200 feet removed from the point of delivery. The apparatus, worked automatically and delivered pickles and brine at the point of delivery at the rate of one ton per minute. The performance, when con veying other materials has been equally satisfactory. The articles me not damaged to any noticeable extent. largeror smaller capacities may be made and used with equal facility.

.If the articles mentioned were conveyed Apparatus having in a dry system without the introduction of water, as the vehicle, contact of the moving articles with the solid walls and other portions of the conveying system would bruise the articles and otherwise disfigure, soil and injure them, so as to render such av system poorly adapted for this purpose.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof :F igure 1 is an elevation, partly in section of an apparatus by which gravity. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the air controlling valve, by means of which the trap is disconnected from the air system and the contents subjected to at mospheric pressure. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed sectional view of a retarding device that prevents spasmodic movement of the segregating trap, or receptacle. In all the views the same reference characters are employed to indicate similar parts.

5 is a tank or other depository containing materials to be conveyed by my system.

Said materials 6 are shown to be submerged in a liquid 7. The contents of the depository 5 is to be conveyed therefrom to conveyer 8 or other point of deposit, by the instrumentality of the intervening means to which my system is adapted. A pipe 9 serves as a conduit through which the material and the liquid are to ass. vided with a plurality. of fittings, such as 10, which are normally closed by caps 11 and to which a hose 12 may be connected at any suitable point. It is also provided with a plurality of fittings 13 having caps 11, that are normally closed, to -which a hose 15 may be connected atjsuitable pointsalong the conduit or pipe 9. The free end' of the hose 12 passes into the tank or depository 15. An air exhaust pump 16 is employed to produce rarefaction in the tank 17 and the pipe 18 which is connected thereto.

The pipe 18 is provided with a series of valves 19 which are distributed along its length and with the mouths normally closed, and to which a hose 20 may be connected. The fittings 13 of the 19 of the pipe 18 should be located in pairs for convenient connection of the hose 15 and 20 of the trap 21, as shown in Fig. 1. The hose 12 may be connected to the pipe 9 at any convenient point adjacent the tank or depository 5. The tank or trap 21-is shown in cross sections in Fig.2 and consists of a main body part open at its bottom, as at 22, and provided with a valve- 23 that is counterbalanced by an adjustable weight24 so that it normally as shown in full lines in Fig. 2. The hose 15 is connected to the fitting 25 which is provided on its inner end with an automatically closing valve 26 pivoted, as at 27.

Near the center of the head 28 is a project ing arm 29, connected to a transversely positioned lever 30, as at 31, said lever being supported by and pivotally connected to a vertically depending arm 32,- as at 33. The lever 30 bears an adjustable counterweight It is propipe 9 and the fittings the bottom of the hose holds the valve 23 closed,

31, which normally holds the tank, or trap 21, in elevated position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2. \Vhen the trap becomes filled with the articles to be transported the weight of the articles'together with that of the trap will overcome the weight of so that when the parts are in the position shown in full lines in Fig.2 the valve controlling communication with the tank 17 will be open causing communication between said tank 17 and interior of the trap 21, as more clearly shown in Fig. 3. Now when the parts assume the positions shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 the valve 36 will be closed and communication will be established between the interior of the trap 21 and the exterior atmosphere through the. pipe 39. \Vhen the p I a latch 40, pivoted as at 41 to the body part of the'trap, serves to engage a latch member 42, which moves with the valve 23 and holds the valve open, but when the tank or trap '21 is emptied of its contents the weight 34 will overcome it and lift it to full line position, at which time the latch 40 will be raised and the counter weight 24 will close parts are in dotted' line position the valve 23 and at this time the interior of the trap 21 isagain connected with the tank 17, and the air, will be drawn from the trap 21 and the atmospheric pressure from the outside, due to the attenuation on the inside, will serve to tightly closed.

The operation of the system in carrying my method of transportation into effect, is ashold the valve 23 follows :The'pump 16 is set in operation and the tank 17 is substantially. exhausted of air,'or as nearly as may be, and the connecting pipe 18 with the hose 20, the trap 21, hose 15, pipe 9 and hose 1 2 are all exhausted of air, the attenuation extending to 'finally into the trap or tank 21 until the tank 21 becomes practically two-thirds full at which time the weight of the tank, and

its contents, will overcome the counterbalancing Weight 34 lifting the counterbalance weight to dotted line position and causing the tank to be depressed to the dotted line.

12, which at this] depository 5 is sub- 7 inchned screen 45,

position at Which time the valve 36 is turned so as to shut off the air exhaust means and to open communication between the interior of the trap 21 and the outside atmosphere thus breaking the vacuum tendency in the tank. After this has been accomplished there is no longer a force holding the valve 23 closed and the Weight of the contents causes it to open and assume substantially the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 at which time the latch member, 42, is brought into engagement with the pivoted latch bar 40 and the valve is held open by the instrumentality of an adjustable rod 43 having a slot and pin connection 44 with the lever 37. The valve 23 will beheld this position until the tank again is raised by the overbalancing weight 34, to full line position, at which time the arm 37 will be moved, the rod 43 raised and the latch 40 lifted, to the position shown, thus releasing the valve 23 and permitting the counterweight 24 to close the valve. At the same time that the tank is being emptied the atmospheric pressure will automatically close the valve 26 thereby preventing air from entering the hose 15, pipe 9, fitting 10 and hose 12, and retaining the contents within these parts and preventing them from returning to the tank from whence they came which otherwise they would do by siphoning action.

When the articles transported are discharged from the trap 21 they fall upon an the screen being perforated to permit the liquid in which they are transported to be separated from the article. The liquid passes through the screen into a receiver, 46 and from thence by means of a pipe 47 it is returned to the point or depository from which it came, or, if desired, the valve 48 may be closed and the valve 49 opened when the liquid will be discharged from the receiver 46 to the sewer by means of pipe 50. Where the liquid is of any value, such as brine, or the like, I prefer to return it by gravity to the tank or receiver 5 or by pump to the place from which it was taken, so that it may be used over again. The articles transported after falling on the inclined perforate apron 45 are deposited upon a traveling conveyer 8 by which they may be conveyed to any con venient locality without the use of the protecting liquid, or they may be caused to fall into proper receptacles such as barrels or other receptacles after leaving the inclined apron 45, as desired.

Having described my invention, what I claim with a view and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The art of conveying small, solid articles, such as pickles, sauer-kraut, and the by the latch in like, from a point of supply to a delivery chamber, which consists in, submerging the solids in a protecting liquid, the surface of which is exposed to atmospheric pressure, establishing an area of rarefaction, and alternately, first, closing the delivery chamber to the atmosphere and establishin communication thereto from the area 0 rarefaction, establishing communication with the supply beneath the surface of the liquid, and second, shuttin off communication between the delivery c amber and the area of rarefaction and opening the delivery chamber to the atmosphere for contents delivery.

2. The art of conveying small, solid articles, such as pickles, sauer-kraut, and the like, by conveying the same from a point v of supply to a delivery chamber, which consists 1n submerging the solids in a protecting liquid, the surface of which is exposed to atmospheric pressure, establishing an area of rarefaction, and alternately, first, closing the .delivery chamber to the atmos phere and establishing communication thereto from the area of rarefaction, establishing communication with the supply, beneath the surface of the liquid, and second, shutting oif the communication between the delivery chamber and the area of rarefaction, closing the chamber from connection with the source of supply, and opening it to the atmosphere for contents delivery.

3. The art of conveying small, solid articles, such as pickles, sauer-kraut, and the like, from a point of supply to a delivery chamber which consists in, submerging the solids in a protecting liquid, the surface of which is exposed to atmospheric pressure, establishing an area of rarefaction and alternately, first, closing the delivery chamber to the atmosphere and establishing communication thereto from the area of rarefaction, and to the source of supply beneath the surface of the liquid, and second, shutting off communication between the delivery.

chamber and the area of rarefaction and opening it to the atmosphere, and discharging the contents of the chamber upon a separating area and there permitting the liquid to separate from the solid by gravity.

4. The method of operating an installation for conveying small articles of food stufi's, such as pickles, sauer-kraut, etc., submerged in a protecting liquid that comprises a supply tank containing the liquid and food stuffs, a delivery receptacle'havingf an outwardly opening bottom delivery gate, a material conveying pipe connecting the submerged portion of the tank with the delivery receptacle, and a suction device connected with the top part of said delivery receptacle;which consists in, controlling the intake and delivery operation of the eeptaele and permitting the gate to be load 10 delivery receptacle by alternately first con opened when rarefactlon 1S dlnnnlshed.

net-ting the closed receptacle with the suc- I11 testimony whereof I hereunto set my tion (lent-e and closing it to the atmosphere, hand 1n the presence of two witnesses. and second. closing it to the suction device, TH v T t r MAS \H M0\LILL. estahllshlng communication between the O k l L closell receptacle and the atmosphere, the In the presence ofbottom gate being closed against load de- FOREE BAIN,

pressions while rarefac'tion exists in the re- MARY F. ALLEN. 

